So we know that you need to consume a calorie surplus to gain lean muscle mass, but how much of a calorie surplus is ideal? If your goal is to gain lean muscle mass without any additional fat storage, here is a good formula to follow:

Figuring Out Your Estimated TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)

You first need to calculate what your TDEE or total daily energy expenditure is. This is how many calories your body burns in 24 hours while working, resting, and exercising.

Plain and simple, if you eat more calories then your body requires, you will gain weight!

Your TDEE will fluctuate depending on a number of factors such as exercise level and occupation.

It’s important not to confuse TDEE with BMR.

You are going to have to experiment to nail down approximately what your TDEE is, so this calculator will help: TDEE calculator.

Small Surplus

The next step is to start off consuming a small calorie surplus each day and carefully track your results.

Consuming around 1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight has been the bodybuilding standard for years, so let’s dive into a few research studies to further evaluate the exact amount of protein needed to build muscle.

You should be consuming a 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein for maximum benefit.

This ratio will ensure that your body has enough glucose molecules to transport the amino acids from the protein into your body and initiate protein synthesis. It will also replenish those drained glycogen levels, preparing you for the next workout.

For example, if you are a 200-pound guy you would consume 40 grams of protein and 80 grams of carbohydrates.

4. Cholesterol increases testosterone

You probably know that testosterone is the almighty male hormone responsible for things like aggression, deep voice, body hair, facial hair, and most importantly, building lean muscle mass.

Every hardcore fitness enthusiast strives to have the maximum amount of testosterone output. The more testosterone that your body can produce, the more lean muscle mass you will have the capacity to build.

The Leydig cells in your body convert cholesterol into testosterone. Cholesterol is, in fact, the building block of the male hormone testosterone. Your Leydig cells get the majority of what they need by absorbing the cholesterol present in your body.

What does this mean? Consume foods that have cholesterol in them!

You will find that the foods that are highest in cholesterol are actually bodybuilding staple foods. This makes perfect sense, and it is no wonder that bodybuilders have used these foods since the beginning of muscle building.

The following foods are all abundant sources of cholesterol and thus will help you build muscle mass:

5. Progressive overload leads to growth

Progressive overload simply means that you are gradually increasing the amount of overload on your muscles each workout.

For example, if you bench pressed 225 lbs for 8 repetitions in your previous workout, you should make sure to push yourself and go for 230 lbs at 8 reps or 225 lbs for 10 reps.

The science behind progressive overload training states that progressively placing greater than normal demands on the exercising musculature is required for a training adaptation to take place. Without overload, there is no adaptation by the body.

The neuromuscular adaptations will occur first, followed by an increase in muscle and connective tissue strength.

This all may seem like a lot of jargon so in lemans terms: keep pushing yourself to lift a little bit more each workout if you want to keep building muscle!

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